Flume.



J. R. RANKIN.

FLUME.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 23, 1912.

Patented Mar 25, 1913 4 k M M JOHN RANKIN, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

manna Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 23, 1912.

Patented Ma1'.25,1913. Serial No. 716,607.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN R. RANKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of. Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Flumes, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention is: an improvement in' flames such as are employed to convey water for power, irrigation or other purposes and relates in particular to means for the allowing for the expansion and contraction of such fiumes produced by changes in temperature.

In long smooth flumes, such, for instance,

as that shown in the patent to Patrick Maginnis Number 749,871, issued Jan. 19, 1904, there is a tendency for the tlume to buckle when expanded by heat or to pull away from the concrete approaches when it contracts on cooling; and I have found itdesirable to provide such a thnne at intervals with a section capable of yielding in a longitudinal direction to accommodate the differences in length of the'flume produced by such changes in temperature.

The object of my invention is to provide a flume with such a yielding section or sec-. tions and at the same time to preserve the interior smoothness of the flume, to the end that its resistance to the flow of the-water shall not be increased and to construct the lumc without the use of rivets, solder or the like, in order that there may be no tendency 4 for it to leak.

. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the two cotiperating sections when assembled in a fiume; and 4 is an end view, partially broken away, showing the manner of joining the sections. I

In the drawings, A designates the upper and B the lower of a pair of special sections employed to form my yielding fiume' portion, a pair of these special sections being placed at intervals in the flume, as may be found necessary to care for its expansion and contraction Section A is provided witha pair of beads, the one numbered 5, located at one end of the section, being used in joining it to its adjacent ordinary Hume section D, and the other, numbered 6, being located shown in Fig. 1, at some distance from the opposite end of the section. Section B has at its upper end a bead T to cooperate with the bead 6 on section A for joining the sections, as will be later described, and a series of corrugations 8, to be utilized in absorbing the expansion and contraction of the fiume. For convenience in manufacture I prefer to make the head 7 and the corrugations 8 similar; but as they have different functions I shall refer to the one as a bead and to the others as corrugations. While shown as exactly alike these parts shouldnotbe confused, for, it will be evident, other means of attachment than the cooperating beads could be employed without departing from my invent-ion. The head 9 on the section B is used in attaching it to the ad oining ordinary section C. The means for oining the sections, which are the same for both special and ordinary sec t ions, are substantially the same as those of tneMagmnis patentabove referred to and are shown in Figs.- 3 and 4. Cross-beams 10 restingon stringers (not shown) form a .means of supporting the fiume.

pass through the cross-beams and support at their lower ends the channels 12 which constitute the outer of the joining means. The head on a lower section ispl-aced in the channel, the bead of the next @per section superimposed, and an inner clamping memher or fillet 13 is forced against the beads to hold them securely within the channel, thus forming the joint. I prefer also to use a shoe 14 carried by the bolt 11 and having an inclined face 15 which serves to force the fillet 13 outward as it is pulled upward by the tightening of the bolt 11, thus bringing the parts intomore intimate engagement.

.In assembling my yielding flume portion (working from the lower end of the flume as is customary) the section B is attached to the ordinary flume section C below by' the use of any suitable joining means, asyfor instance, those shown in Fig. 4. .Then the section A is superimposed, the head 6 being received into the head 7 and clamping means added to hold the sections rigidly together at that point. The upper end of the section A is then joined to another ordinary sec- Bolts 11 I tion D by the head 5. When the parts are assembled the portion X of the section A below-the head 6 extends over and covers the corrugations 8, rendering the interior of the flu'me smooth; and the corrugations 8, being free to'expend and contract under the portion X, are capable of taking up all expension and contraction allotted to the par-- ticuler yielding connection in uestion.

While in practice it is prefers 1c, in order to retard the flow of the Water as little as possible, to place the sections so that the Water flows. down the overlap, it will be ohvious that this arrangement may be reversed Without departing from my invention and that the use in the claims of the terms upper end lower in designating the special sections refers to their position relative to eachother and not to the flume. It prefer to employ clips 16, secured to the lower member B and passing over the extension X,

in position to prevent vertical displacement or" said extension but permitting of free longitudinal movement thereof relative to the section B.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire tosecure by Le"- ters iPetent is; I

1. in a c m, n oi? smooth 'tlume sections, in combination with c section having circumferential core-i ctions, and lneens for covering said connections to present a smooth interior for said ilume.

In a dome, 9. series of smooth tluine .ctions, in combinationwith e circumferentielly corrugated section, e cooperating section having on extension sdspted to cover said corrugations to present a smooth interior for said fiume.

3. In a flume, A! series of smooth iiume P" sect-ions, a pair 021? special sections :Foirminge *ie'ding portion, the one of said special sefions having; a. series of circumferential crirngstions, the other of said special sec-- tions hevingmeens for joining it to said first mentioned special section and an exension beyond said joining means adopted 0 cover said corrugations and present a smooth interior for said fiume.

at. In. a fiume, a series of smooth fiume sections having heads at their ends for attaching each section toits adjacent section, upper and lower s eciel sections forming a yielding portion, t 1e upper of said special sections having a head at one end and c bead intermediate its ends, the lower of said special sections having: a head at each end and a series of circumfenentiel corrugations intermediate said beads, means joining the upper section to the lower section by engagement of the intermediate head on the up per section with the upper bend on thelower section, whereby that portion of the upper section below the intermediate head will cover the corrugations in the lower section, and means for joining the special sections to their adjacent ordinary sections.

,5. In a flame, a series of smooth fiume sections, in combination with e circumferentielly corrugated section, a. cooperating section having an extension adapted to cover said corrugations, and means on said first In testimony whereof, I hereunto etlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN R. RANKIN.

Witnesses 2 CL 2%. Between, W. W. BoUoH'ioN. 

